


Silver Chains

by Niflkier



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Master & Servant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:28:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23943934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niflkier/pseuds/Niflkier
Summary: "He's a core. That means, he doesn't understand fear the same way us humans do. He isn't scared of starvation, as he doesn't have to eat. He isn't scared of wounds, because he heals instantaneously.""So, what is he afraid of?""He is afraid of humans.""Humans?""Because humans are fragile. He is afraid of losing them."Silvis is a tainted. That means, she is labelled as a danger to society. Her only option is to be hired by a 'Core', those who have the ability to stop even if she transforms into a monster.But are 'Cores' really as immovable as they say?And are the 'Tainted' truly as dangerous as they are labelled?
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 5





	1. The Tainted and the Core

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! Thanks for visiting.  
> This is my first novel, a rewrite from my Nanowrimo challenge way back in 2014, but I thought I'd pick it up again seeing I have lots of free time at the moment. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy, and don't forget to leave comments and reviews after reading!!

It was a snowy night at the auction house. House?

No, if she had to describe it, it was a market. A large area with nothing but stalls and booths, most temporarily and could be taken down in an hour. The place smelled of food, of hot roasted beef on skewers, or freshly baked potatoes, and of hot chocolate dribbled with marshmallows. But those were not for her. Her place was in a cage, cuddled up with the others, shivering.

Once, she had been one of the humans walking around. Once, she had been a kid asking her parent for an ice cream. Once, she was the kid pointing at the cages, asking her parents why those ‘tainted’ were in cages.

Because difference creates rank.

Rank creates inequality.

Through inequality, you forget the other person is human at all.

In the year 2292, there was a viral outbreak. No one quite knew where the virus originated from, but it was definitely global and uncontrolled.

Most people simply had immunity and were completely unscarred by it. Otherwise, they went into a state called ‘catalysed evolution’. The virus enters the human DNA and changes it.

The few fortunate ones became super beings. The peak of human genetics. They no longer had to eat food to sustain themselves, and yet had a body stronger than any olympian could dream of. They had advanced healing, more so than any Doctor could hope to achieve, and limbs that could regenerate at will. They became known as ‘Core’.

And the unfortunate ones lost their sense of self. They lost the thought of a human, and seeked to destroy human life while gaining all the perks of a Core.

It was natural that Cores became the enemy of Monsters, and they fought for the sake of survival.

The world plummeted into the dark ages, but the human race pulled through. Yet, when they thought they had killed off the last of the Monsters, they found the scariest fact. The fact that a person thought to be ‘immune’ could become a ‘monster’ at any point. It was a genetical condition.In the beginning, any household which transformed were immediately labelled as ‘tainted’ and quarantined, most then disposed off. It started off for the sake of humanity. However, as the deaths piled up, and transformations did not appear as genetical as initially thought, a new proposal was introduced.

_Have the tainted be ‘looked after’ by the Cores. If they do transform, kill them, and otherwise, they were at least of some use to the world._

She was told to search for a ‘meaningful death’. But those words themselves were meaningless.

It was a sugar coated term for ‘slavery’.

“Do you think anyone is going to buy us?” The child beside her asked. He was younger than her, perhaps seven or eight at the most. They did not know each other, but it was not difficult to imagine how he ended up here.

“Hire. They use the word ‘hire’.” An older member of the group said, “We’re supposed to live in the civilised world, remember? Slavery isn’t supposed to exist.”

She did not say anything, but she huddled closer to the wall. Her breaths were making frosts in the air, her thin articles of clothing not really helping much. Their clothing were all official, but that did not mean they had to be of good quality. She turned to look at the Government official looking after them, a man whose father was apparently a half-core, and he was disinterested in promoting them to the public at all.

If they were sold, good for them.

If not, that wasn’t his problem, he was on a monthly salary after all.

However, if they weren’t hired after a month’s time. They were disposed, for the sake of ‘humanity’.

Someone came to a stop in front of the stall. All three of them turned to look, hopeful. She looked at the young child, using her fingers to comb through his hair, and the elder man too, helped her smarten up the little one. They didn’t hear what the cores were talking about, but after a little while, the official came over and looked over the three of them, and soon, the little boy was taken out.

_Hired._

And then there was just the two of them left.

The stall was left in peace. Humans did not come near this area - there was a fear that the tainted could evolve into monster at any moment. The official returned to his seat, then looked at his watch. He was quiet for a moment, as if counting down the last few seconds.

“Alright. Time is up. Let’s go back, it’s freezing here.” The official said and called up the control manual for his stall.

“Wait.” She said, causing the official to turn with an annoyed gaze. She quickly continued, “This is my last day. So, please, just five minutes longer.”

“Hah, desperate, are we?” He smirked, but the wind was getting stronger. A storm was coming. No one wanted to be out on such a night. The official shook his head, then pressed a few more buttons so that the stall closed up on itself. She stood up, leaning against the bars, looking onto the street for any core. Any one at all. Someone that could save her.

“Help! Help me please!” She shouted, banging on the bars. The official did not mind. He was used to it. So many of the ‘tainted’ panicked on their last day. They had clung onto the last of their hopes, after all. The stall interior was closed up, forming a small aircraft. All that was left is the store front and the pilot’s cockpit.

She banged on the bars, but she knew no sound would leave the aircraft. She slowly knelt back down onto the metal floor she had spent the last week sitting on. She heard the engine whirring, they would take off at any moment, and they would head back to the government facility where they would be killed at.

“It’s no use.” The man beside her said, “This is it for you.”

“I thought I had come to terms with it. But… this is really too much.”

But then, the engine stopped, and the official came in.

“Hah… five minutes, who’d have thought.” He muttered, then opened the door and waved his hand, “Come on out. You’ve been hired.”

The man that stood in front of the stall was tall, with hair the colour of the darkest night, matching his eyes. He wore a matching black coat, and he kept his hands within his coat pocket. He was watching her with the corner of his eyes, but when she walked into the light, he reached a hand out to touch her neck. His hand was warm, even as he casted a collar onto her neck. A collar to let the world know that she was his. A collar that allowed him to keep track wherever she went, and know whatever it is she wanted to hide. A window into her soul.

_For her, that is the price of life._

“My name is Lukoin Saphragon. Tell me your name.” He said. He had a deep voice, an emotionless voice, but it was not unkind, she thought.

“Silvis.” She said, “Silvis Seven.”

“Seven?” Lukoin repeated. She nodded. He did not ask anymore, but he started walking down the street. She could feel eyes on her as she followed, in the uniform that branded her a tainted, the collar on her neck clear even with her long hair down.


	2. Saphragon

Saphragon

“I thought you weren’t going to hire anyone.”

“I changed my mind.” Lukoin responded to the man with dark brown hair who had opened the door for the two of them. He wore an expensive looking white suit without a spot of stain, his shoes polished until they shone. His face was as emotionless as the black haired core, and if not for the black ‘collar’ that was just visible beneath the white shirt, Silvis would have thought that he, too, was a core.

The Saphragon family mansion was situated outside the city of Meselodia, surrounded by a forest of pine. It was a thirty minutes drive, but she was sure Lukoin had been speeding above the limits. They had a large garden that was currently covered in white snow, but there was a path from the front gate to the mansion that had been neatly cleared for the car to pass through with no issues. Lukoin turned to look at Silvis for a moment. She was currently wearing the coat he had given her, as she had been shivering as they walked through the market, and she had her gaze fixated on the ground, unable to meet his gaze during the entire duration of their journey. Lukoin walked in through the door, and as he passed the other man, he said, “You know what to do.” 

The white suited servant looked down at Silvis and sighed, running a hand through his hair, then said, “Come in.”

Silvis nodded and walked in, taking a moment to look up at her surroundings. No one else seemed to be around at the moment, but she guessed that it must already be quite late. She turned as the door was clicked locked behind her. She wasn’t sure if she would ever be allowed outside again.

“Name?” The elder servant asked as he turned around. She quickly looked casted her eyes down.

“Silvis, sir.”

“My name is Chase, I am the head of the servants.” He said, then started walking. Silvis followed him. The mansion was floored with hardwood, boasting of luxury and wealth. Rooms were lit with chandeliers, and stairs lined with carpets that felt soft through the fabric that was her shoes. Of course, he was a Saphragon, it was a famous family name, it made sense that he had such wealth to boast of.

Cores were rare. The chances of evolving into a monster is much higher than the chances of evolving into a core, after all, and to make matters worse, they were known to have poor fertility. Many cores ended up loving humans and giving birth to those of mixed blood; some stronger like cores, and others weak like humans. However, certain core families kept their bloodline pure.

Saphragon was one of those bloodlines.

“When you are the in presence of master, do no make unnecessary movements, and do not speak unless necessary.” Chase said, “And if he passes you in the hallway, stand to the side, and keep your head down. The master, he detests servants.”

Silvis nodded. It was understandable. She did not know a single person, core or human, that would like a tainted. They were like a time bomb, after all. Chase came to a door that did not seem different from any of the others; made from wood with delicate carvings, and a golden knob, and yet opening it did not lead to a room, but a spiralling staircase that made its way down into the darkness. Chase continued to speak;

“After nine in the evening, all servants are to return to their quarters and keep quiet there until seven, when you are permitted in the house again. We have a chef who will take care of your catering needs, so you don’t need to worry about getting hungry-”

“Oh gosh! Look at you poor scrawny thing!” This sudden outburst came from the kitchen, as a man in his late forties shouted. He wore a black shirt, and an apron over that, and a chef hat on his head. If was not difficult to guess who he was. The chef. He said, “Has Chase been giving you an earful? He’s such a bad man isn’t he?! Chase! What are you doing? Look at-” 

“Rook.” Chase called his name, “You are startling her.”

“Nonsense!” Rook said, “Come in, come in! You must have been in through a lot. Those government officials are useless. I’ve been there. Chase has been there, he’s just being insensitive. Come here, I still have some soup for you. Here, here.”

Rook then disappeared behind the door and appeared with a bowl of soup as promised, as well as a jug of water balanced in the crook of his arm, and a cup in the other hand.

“For tonight, and tonight only mind you, I will let you take the food to your room. Don’t let anyone know. Chase you did not hear that.” Rook said, then started walking out, “Come, come, your room is this way.”

Silvis turned to look at Chase whose face was still as emotionless as ever. He did not even seem angry, and let Silvis follow the chef to her room, which was situated just a few meters away. He opened and walked in, setting the bowl, glass and jug on the table, and patted her head gently.

“What is your favorite dish? I will make it for you tomorrow.”

“…C-chiken curry.” She replied. 

“Oh, I can make that for you. You can stay excited! Now, anything you want to talk to me about? It must all be so sudden for you. Becoming a tainted and all that. I still remember my first-”

“Rook. Let her rest.” Chase reminded the chef, and Rook sighed, annoyed, but he nodded regardless. He started heading towards the door, while Chase took a look into the dresser that was placed beside the table.

“The clothes are a bit big for you, but they’ll have to do for now. We weren’t expecting a new servant today.” Chase said. He then walked to the door, stopping for a moment outside and said, “There are not many servants here, so, it might be hard for you to adapt. I will… be looking forward to your help.”

“Yes, sir.”

Changed and eaten, Silvis threw herself onto the bed. It was softer than she had expected. She flipped to the side.

_Life changed?_

Yes, everything happened just a month ago, and yet, it felt so long ago.

Everything has happened too fast.

Too many friends, made and gone in a month.

Too many dreams broken in a day.

Silvis shook her head. No. Don’t cry.

Leave the past behind.

She had been hired. She can look forward to a future.

_A future behind walls was surely better than no future at all, right?_


	3. Settled

“Chicken curry, as ordered!” Rook said, placing a dish of said menu in front of her. Silvis smiled a little, and started digging into the dish. He turned to Chase, who was leaning against the wall quietly and asked, “Is the Master not eating again?”

“No.” Chase replied. He was eating at a rather fast pace, even with one hand, and yet there as not a single stain on his face or fingers. He finished before Silvis had even eaten half, and disappeared up the mansion once again.

“Excuse him,” Rook said. Unlike other times, his voice was was serious. Concerned, even, and he said, “Chase is the head servant, but he also helps the master with his work so he’s a bit busier than the rest of us.”

“I see.” Silvis nodded. She then decided that this is the time to make friends. She took a breath, thinking to herself, ' _Act friendly, Silvis, come on, you can do this!'_ She said, “Chef rook, this curry is amazing!”

“C-chef Rook?! Hah! No need to flatter me Silvis, I know I'm good at what I do!” The Chef said, grinning widely from ear to ear. Silvis relaxed her shoulders a little, _stage 1 passed!_

“How long have you worked here for?” Silvis asked.

“Twenty three years now, been cooking ever since day 1! I was a chef outside too, before all this happened. Worked at a 5-star hotel, you know? Made my profile a bit better than some of the tainted out there.”

“Wow.” Silvis clapped, “I’m eating a 5-star curry? How wonderful!”

“Yes! Silvis. You truly understand a Chef’s heart. These words I’ve been trying to rip off Chase. But that man, he’s as emotionless as the master.”

“The master?”

“Yes, the master does not even eat my cooking.” Rook said, “He really has me cook for all the servants, but never eats any on his own.”

“That’s because he’s a core!” Another voice joined in on the conversation. Silvis turned to see another servant skip in, sitting at the table and helped himself to a serving of the curry, “Cores don’t need to eat food. Their digestive system has changed, they just need to eat some of those energy pills. Hi, nice to meet ya, name’s Finn!”

“Nice to meet you, my name is Silvis.”

“New servant?”

“Yes”

“Strange, master didn’t say anything about hiring anyone.” Finn said, “But it’s good, you look like a good person!”

Silvis looked at the boy before him. He was in a good mood, much like Rook. What a stark contrast to the other two ice princes in the household.

“How many people work here?” Silvis asked, seeing that new faces keep popping up everywhere she went. Earlier, she had been taken around the mansion by ‘Emma’, who was a human that worked on a contract unlike her. She had passed by a few other guys who were working on cleaning the mansion, but they did not speak to her.

“Currently,” Rook said, “Five humans and four tainted, including you. We obviously live separate to them, just in case something happens.”

Silvis was quiet for a moment. Then she nodded, “Right. We’re the time bombs.”

“Hey! Look at it this way, none of us has transformed yet, see?” Finn said, “Though, I’ve only been here for a year, so I really don’t know that much.”

“So, first Chef Rook, then Chase, and then you, Finn?” Silvis slowly put together the information she had. However, she was surprised when Rook shook his head.

“Chase was here before I was. He was only ten at the time, but he still is as emotionless as ever.” Rook complained. He then shrugged, “He’s a bit cold, and he’s very strict, but he’s reliable, so, I hope you could be nice to him too.”

Silvis nodded and had another bite of the curry.

···· ···· ···· ♔ ············

Lukoin chose not to eat. He only ate for formalities, and Chase came in just in time to see Lukoin take some pills for energy.

“They are running out.” Lukoin said.

“I will get some for you later, then.” Chase said, “More of the same? Or would you like a different flavour?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Of course, sir.” Chase said, then sat down on a couch in the study. He tapped his wrist, and immediately a hologram screen and keyboard formed in front of him, showing a document he had been working on in high definition. He then started typing, as Lukoin walked over to him, peering down at the screen over his shoulder.

“The subject has a ‘risk factor’ of over 20,000 units, but he hasn’t transformed yet. He could become a core.” Chase said, “It would be great, we haven’t seen a new evolution in over a decade.”

“He’s in the custody of BMEX, it’ll only be a matter of time before we know.” Lukoin said.

BMEX; The Bureau of Monster Extermination. That was an organisation mostly ran by Core, whose main purpose was to exterminate monsters, and research a cure.

“How trusty is this ‘Risk factor’ anyway? It’s supposed to be an indicator of how likely a person is to transform, right?” Chase asked.

“It’s new research, but the Government probably would not let us publish it anyway.” Lukoin said, “After all, it disproves the theory that ‘Catalysed evolution’ is linked to genetics.”

Genetics. The theory that has killed a thousand ‘tainted’.

How will the Government explain their wrongdoings to the public?

It would be suicidal.

“So. Silvis.” Chase said, changing the subject.

“Silvis?” Lukoin repeated.

“The one you hired yesterday.”

“Oh, her.” He said absentmindedly, “She’s an awakened one.”

“Another one of those?”

“Humans who have been in the close presence of a monster, but survived the attack. BMEX published a report that these people ‘awaken’. They become sensitive to the presence of a monster, more sensitive than even a Core. But you know all this.” Lukoin explained, “Too bad the government don’t believe us, and treat them like any other ‘Tainted’.”

“How did you know she was one?” Chase asked, but Lukoin did not explain. He walked back to his table and waited at the printer for Chase to print out the finished report. Lukoin then signed it, and filed it in his bookshelf, and was automatically archived. Chase, realising Lukoin was not going to answer him sighed and walked to the door, “I will go and get you some more pills.”

Lukoin nodded, and turned to the door.

_How did you know she was one?_

He sighed.

No one needs to know the truth.


	4. The Daily Life of a Servant

The Daily Life of a Servant

Silvis was brushing dust off an ancient looking vase. She had not really seen one before - most households went for flower holograms that did not need as much care, and came in shapes and forms even more vivid and breathtaking than a normal flower ornament, she thought. Most importantly, holograms do not break; and this vase in particular seemed like it would cost more than her entire savings.

“Silvis!” Finn called her name as he came running, a bouquet of flowers in his hands, “I’ve just been to the heated greenhouse, here are the flowers you wanted!”

Silvis smiled as the young gardener placed the flowers into the vase. Finn loved the outdoors, and so he mostly worked in the garden, tending to the greenhouse and scraping the roads clear of snow.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had flowers in the vase before, but it looks nice.” Finn said.

“Really? I thought vases were for flowers to be put in.” Silvis said.

“I thought people just had them as decorations?”

“That’s such a waste of space though. I mean, it does look quite nice.”

“Looks better with the flowers though, I think. I found another empty vase down Corridor 3 so I’m going to fill it with flowers too!” Finn said, “Hey, Silvis, do you think white or yellow looks better?”

“I think - ah!” Silvis was about to reply when she felt a clap around the back of her head, and Chase walked forwards to give Finn another clap as well.

“No speaking while on the job.” Chase warned, then turned to look behind him, where Lukoin had just left his study. Silvis and Finn both immediately stepped towards the wall and bowed a little, keeping their gaze down as Chase had once instructed. Lukoin walked past them, and he spared a glance at the flowers in the vase. He did not say anything, and continued walking without talking to the two of them. Chase followed him quietly. As soon as the two had walked out of earshot, Finn sighed and stretched his arms. He said, “See, this is why I like the outdoors much more!”

“I can see why.” Silvis nodded. Seeing that Chase had not rounded the corner to reprimand him, Silvis asked, “So, what kind of person is Lukoin anyway?”

“Silvis!” Finn almost shouted, then jumped towards her, putting his hands over her mouth, “Don’t call him that, call him ‘Master’, or he’ll have your head!”

Silvis pried Finn’s hands away, “Alright, alright. So, what kind of person?”

“What do you think?” Finn asked. Silvis frowned, and thought for a moment.

_A warm hand._

_A thick jacket._

_A gentle touch._

“On that first day… he was kind.” Silvis said, and Finn was quiet for a moment, then he smiled a little.

“That’s good!” Finn said, then started walking away from her, “I guess break’s over, let’s get back to work!”

“But, about Lu- Master!”

“That’s something you need to figure for yourself!” He said, then waved at her, before running down the corridor.

···· ···· ···· ♔ ············

Lukoin was looking at some documents when Chase came into the room. He placed the bottles of pills he had just replenished onto the table.

“How is the new girl?” Lukoin asked. Chase looked up, his Master was not the type to start a conversation while working.

“Angela?” Chase asked.

“Who?” Lukoin looked up. Then he realised, “Oh, the new human. No, I mean the tainted.”

“Oh, Silvis. She is loud, clumsy, slow, and very inquisitive. Annoying.” Chase said, “I think you should send her back.” 

“You say that about every tainted I’ve hired.” Lukoin smirked a little. Chase sighed, when it came to facial expression from the Core, Chase was certain only he had ever seen anything of the likes, and that was on a good day. Lukoin preferred a stoic face, unreadable to even him.

“She likes asking about you.” Chase said, “I know you don’t like people meddling in your private affairs.”

“She’ll get bored eventually.” Lukoin said, “it’s just a temporary curiosity. She is easily spooked, has things been happening?”

“Not really.” Chase said without much thought, he then seemed concerned, “You established an emotion link with her?”

Lukoin simply shrugged, then turned his hologram screen towards Chase, who walked over to read.

“Bloods seem normal.” Chase said, reading the first set of data on the screen, however, as he scrolled down, his eyebrows furrowed a little. However, before he could comment on it, Lukoin sighed. He said;

“She jumped again. I think she broke a plate.”

···· ···· ···· ♔ ············

“What kind of person is Lukoin?” Rook repeated after Silvis. The girl nodded, and the chef spent a moment to think. He then smirked, “Well, what kind of person are you?”

“Me?” Silvis repeated.

“Yes. After all, I should know who I’m talking to before revealing insider gossip.” Rook said, then continued to stir the pot of stew he was preparing for dinner.

“I’m… eighteen years old, I’m an only child, I’ve lived with my uncle for the past eight years, been working part time at Coffee and Co. For the past three years. I have a fake ID for that purpose.” Silvis laughed, thinking back to her life outside the mansion, “I’m a pretty good barista too, let me tell you, my latte art is second to none!”

“Really, can you prove that?” Rook smirked.

“Well, I’m a 2-time champion of the World Latte Art contest!” She boasted, “I mean… no one really cares about it, but it was big, for me at least. It was the only thing I was ever good at.”

“I’m sure you’ll find other things you get good at.” Rook said, “Who knows, maybe housework is your calling.”

“I don’t think so. I can barely make the bed for Master, and Chase comes and does it in like, two seconds.” Silvis said.

“Chase is different. He’s been doing this for a long time.”

“I guess you’re right. So… the Master.” Silvis drew it back to her original point. Rook smirked.

“I don’t know.” Rook said, then turned off the hob and ignored the pouting girl. Silvis had gotten more expressive these past days - or perhaps, she was simply reverting back to her usual personality. Rook thought it was the latter. That was good, it was a personality he could live with. He walked over to serve his stew, then asked, “Why are you so interested about the Master anyway?”

“Well, I thought he looked lonely.” Silvis said. “He doesn’t eat, so he doesn’t have these social moments like us. He’s always either in his study or his bedroom, so I don’t think he goes out much. He doesn’t talk to any of us, and there isn’t any other Core here either. So, I thought he would be lonely.”

Rook was quiet for a moment. He sat down on the chair, then looked at her with a serious expression. Silvis leant forwards a little, was there something she misunderstood?

Then, as quickly as the serious expression came, Rook laughed, hitting the table with his hand so hard that his bowl of stew fell from the table and broke. He had tears in the corners of his eyes, and he had to put one had on his stomach from overexertion of his stomach muscles. Silvis had quickly ran to get the broom she had left in the corner of the room, and started to pick out the large pieces.

“What was that, Chef Rook? Now Chase is going to yell at me.”

“N-No way, he’s with the Master. He never needs to know, haha!!” Rook was not done laughing.

“Silvis. Are we paying you to work here, or paying you to pay off your clumsy mistakes?” Chase asked. Silvis turned round instantly.

“It isn’t my fault!”

“It is, it totally is!!” Rook said, “You made me laugh so hard.”

“Rook. I thought I instructed you to discipline the new staff.” Chase turned on Rook, who tried to stifle his laughter, and put on a casual expression.

“Did Master send you here?”

“Of course, he knows everything that happens around here, what do you think the collar’s for if not surveillance purposes?” Chase sighed, then rubbed his forehead. He seemed to be in a bad mood, worse than usual. 

“Sorry, I’ll do better next time.” Silvis said. She knew it wasn’t fair, but apologising for things she did not do, that was something she had grown used to.

At the coffee shop.

At home.

At school.

So, it’s alright here too.


	5. Study

There were no pictures in the mansion.

No family portrait - be it painting, photograph or hologram. The walls were mostly bare, which though made cleaning easier, made the entire place feel empty.

Cores lived a much longer lifespan than humans do, most living up to 200 years of age, and yet even in old age retain the appearance of youth, and the strength and abilities they developed from their prime years. It was as if their mental capacities could not degenerate.

Cores could regenerate a lost limb. They are barely grazed by weapons, and very few ever fall to Monsters - and when they do, it becomes news, the type that anyone would know about.

_So, what happened to everyone?_

That was the answer Silvis was looking for.

_He seems lonely._

Rook avoided to answer.

Finn said he did not know.

Chase… is Chase; getting any form of information, relevant or not, was impossible.

“Silvis,” Chase called her name. Silvis jumped a little at the sudden noise. Chase always walked so quietly she could not detect his presence at all. She turned. He was as difficult to read as ever, but he said, “The Master and I will be going in for a conference in the city, would you mind cleaning the study while we are away?”

“Yes sir. When do you expect to be back by?” Silvis asked.

“By four at the earliest.” Chase said, “Emma is in charge, if you have any queries.”

“Yes, sir.”

···· ···· ···· ♔ ············

If Silvis had thought the Study would hold an answer to her question, she was very wrong. Perhaps it did not surprise her so much. After all, if some information was laid in plain sight, Chase would not allow her entry into the study at all.

She was, however, surprised by the state of the Study. Even when she lived in the one room apartment with her drunk uncle, it had not gotten this bad. Books seem to have been thrown around the room, some open, and some partially torn. Pieces of paper were piled on the floor, and around the table, unorganised - who even used paper nowadays? She picked up of piece of paper and sighed - at the very least they had been titled and had been recorded in the archive system. She walked towards the bookshelf. It was split into two sections - half for books, and the other half for documents and files.

“Project Anti-CE, number 101?” She said to the shelf. Surely it was voice automated.

…

Perhaps not.

Silvis sighed, perhaps it had voice recognition. She looked at another piece of paper.

“Title, Project Anti-CE, document number 100.” She said aloud once more.

Still no response.

‘ _Fine, I’ll hand sort all these_ ’ Silvis thought, then started organising the pieces of paper. She found some clips in the top drawer of his shelf, and used that keep the documents together. She placed it in a neat pile on her desk, rearranging a few pieces of ornaments to clear space for it. The paper documents now sorted, she turned to look at the books, and back to the shelf.

_‘Arranged by Author’s name? That’s not hard.’_ Silvis thought, then began clearing the books on the floor, arranging them onto the bookshelf.

“Catalysed Evolution, theories, new research” Silvis read the book names, “Lukoin Saphragon, BMEX. Is he looking for a cure?”

Of course, there was no one around to answer her question, so Silvis started to sweep the floor, then mopped it quietly. She then started to wipe the windows; his study was situated so that it had a great view of the garden, which was now an endless see of white. The pine trees outside the mansion were covered by snow, but what really drew her attention was the sight of the car parked outside the mansion.

She looked at her watch.

4.30pm.

Time to run. Silvis picked up the bucket of water and the mop, then strode to the door. She quickly opened and walked out.

Suddenly, something pulled at her collar, dragging out, and into the wall opposite the door. She yelped, then dropped the bucket and the mop, trying to regain her footing. She turned around.

She lost her vision.

Like a snap of fingers, she could not see anything. The air around her suddenly felt heavy, thick, it became difficult to breathe.

Fear?

Is there a monster?

No, monsters don’t feel like this.

This isn’t fear. Fear does not cause sudden blindness.

“Master?” She called out. There was no response, she quickly said, “I’m sorry, I was just cleaning your room, and I-”

She heard the door shut, and suddenly she could see again. It was easy to breathe again.

···· ···· ···· ♔ ············

“It was so weird! It’s like… a human’s touch! And then, I couldn’t breathe. It was so weird, like, suddenly, just, can’t breathe!” Silvis had told the story to Rook once, and was now telling the same story to Finn, who listened intently, completely focused on her.

“This must be the rumoured power of ‘Core’.” Finn said, “You are good, Silvis, I’ve been here longer and I’ve never had such problems.”

“It’s because she’s careless.” Chase criticised, once again seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

“But Chase, I was just doing as you said. I was cleaning the study, and then - wait.” Silvis got out of her chair and walked closer to him. Chase automatically retreated, a hand out to stop her getting close, but Silvis was staring at his face. She pointed at his face, “Chase, you have a wound-”

“No big deal.” Chase cut her off, putting his hand against his cheek.

“Hah! You’re just as clumsy as she is!” Rook laughed, “My, my.”

“Also, Chase!” Silvis said, “You complain about how I don’t organise the cutlery on the table properly, but have you ever organised the Master’s room? It was an absolute mess in there!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, you had all these papers, the ‘Anti-CE’ stuff scattered everywhere and… Chase, why do you have such a serious expression on your face.” 

“Anti-CE?” Chase repeated, he seemed even more confused than before. However, he shook his head, and the blank slate of his face returned. He said, “Are you alright?”

“Me? I’m fine. Why do you ask?” Silvis asked.

“Be careful next time. I have told you before. The Master dislikes servants." He said, then walked out the door before she could say anything.

···· ···· ···· ♔ ············

Lukoin had a serious expression on his face when Chase entered.

“The room’s been searched.” He stated, “Nothing is missing, but, it seems they wanted to let us know, that it’s been searched.”

“So, they didn’t take anything?”

“No.” Lukoin said, then picked up a pile of documents that Silvis had arranged for him. Although it seemed like ordinary paper, it was the type that could not be photographed, or photocopied. Thus, other than memorising the contents or taking it all, it was not possible to be replicated. Lukoin said, “It’s just a threat.”

“Is is someone from the outside?” Chase asked.

“No. The barrier did not detect anything.” Lukoin shook his head.

“Then… someone on the inside?”

Lukoin sighed. He placed the paper back down on the table. He said, “Fire all the servants, and keep an eye on Silvis.”

“Yes, Master.”


End file.
